Top 10 best alternative Twitter apps for iPhone and iPad

Breaking down the best, most must-have alternatives to the official Twitter for iPhone and iPad app

The official Twitter 4.0 for iPhone has a radically overhauled user interface which, while it might potentially make tweeting more discoverable and approachable to new, mainstream users, could also annoy and alienate long time, power users. Luckily, if you're one of he annoyed, the alienated, there are a variety of alternative Twitter apps in the App Store for you to choose from. These are some of our favorites, the ones we consider the very best, most must-have third party Twitter clients for iPhone and iPad.

Tweetbot

Tweetbot by Tapbots is it a beauty. A text review can hardly do this app justice because it is impossible to put into words how beautifully Tweetbot is made. Sure, I can describe how, at your touch, a tweet slides up revealing a navigation bar while simultaneous emitting the perfect sound. I can explain that swiping a tweet to right reveals the conversation and swiping to left displays related tweets. I can tell you about smart gestures, multiple timelines, and customizable navigation. I can even spew out a concrete list of every feature that Tweetbot includes. What I can’t provide you, however, is the experience.

Tweetbot is different. It’s innovative and refreshing. Tweetbot isn’t an app you use, it’s one you interact with. Everything has an animation, a sound, a beautiful interface. And true to Tapbots’ style, the sounds are subtle and pleasant – enriching the experience. For those who are suckers for design, innovation, and dare I say, personality, Tweetbot will rock your world.

Includes support for iOS 5 Twitter integration, Push Notification, and TweekMarker sync. Does not have an iPad-specific version or a PC version.

Twitterrific

Twitterrific by the Iconfactory was the very first Twitter application for the iPhone, even predating Apple's official App Store. It is full-featured, award-winning client with a beautiful and intuitive UI. Twitterrific supports link shortening and tweet translation in addition to the ability to filter your timeline for specific tweet types and trends. It's clean and elegant and color-codes your timeline so you can see tweets, @mentions, and DMs all in the same stream.

Twitterrific supports Tweetmarker and includes both iPhone and iPad optimized version in a single universal app, as well as a Mac app. It does not support iOS 5 Twitter integration or Push Notifications.

Available as an in-app purchase for $4.99, you can upgrade to Twitterrific Premium which will remove ads and enable multiple accounts.

TweetDeck

TweetDeck, now owned by Twitter, is a desktop powerhouse that tries to bring the same multi-column, quick filtering functionality to the iPhone. Favored by social media marketing, analyst, and engagement types because of the ability to sort, organize, manage, and push out tons of Twitter material, the approach translates down to the much smaller screen with okay but not great results.

Still, for people who live and swear by TweetDeck on Windows or Mac, especially those with a TweetDeck account allowing for fast and easy setup, you might want to check this version out.

TweetDeck does not support iOS 5 Twitter integration, Push Notifications or Tweetmarker.

Echofon

Echofon is a full-featured twitter client with a very clean interface and welcome features like a mute option to squelch users, clients and hashtags. Additionally, Echofon previews media directly in your stream which helps you decide if it's something you're interested in. If so, a quick tap of the thumbnail will open the photo or video.

Echofon supports Push Notification, had both iPad and iPhone versions in a single universal app, and will sync with Echofon on the desktop (their own service, not Tweetmarker). Echofon does not support iOS 5 Twitter integration (and actually has a slightly more complex, but secure web + pin authorization scheme in place.)

There are both regular and pro versions of Echofon in the App Store. The regular version is free, the pro version is $4.99, and you can update from regular to pro via a $4.99 in-app purchase as well.

As an in-app purchase for $4.99, you can remove the ads and upgrade to Echofon Pro.

Osfoora

Osfoora is a lot like the official Twitter for iPhone app was before the recent changes in version 4.0. That is to say, anyone who liked the original Tweetie will be immediately familiar with most of Osfoora. But Osfoora doesn't just stick to conventions, it jams a lot more features in as well. There's everything from a "home screen" with big icons for major functions to unread badges on the major sections.

If Tweetie/Twitter for iPhone pre-4.0 "just worked" for you and fit the way you used Twitter, and you don't want to change, give Osfoora a try.

There are both iPhone and iPad versions of Osfoora but they're not universal -- you need to buy both separately. While Osfoora supports a ton of features, iOS 5 integration, Push Notifications, and Tweetmarker aren't among them.

Tweetings

Tweetings is an excellent Twitter app with a clutter-free UI. It let's you search who's nearby and find out what's trending at the moment or see who's around you with Augmented Reality. Tweetings also allows selective or automatic updates to Facebook as well as support for TwitLonger, Twtmore, and URL shortening.

Many of the big features, like push notifications, are stripped from the free version of Tweetings, but you can individually choose which features are important to you and purchase them for $0.99 or upgrade to the full version for $2.99.

Tweetlist

Tweetlist offers an excellent way to view lists and quickly switch between them. The Tweetlists tab is quick to access and you simply swipe left and right to view different lists. This client is very snappy and has excellent Voice Over accessibility support. Tweetlists also offers support for Twitlonger, Instapaper, and Read it Later. Another fantastic feature of Tweetlist is that conversations open automatically - if a tweet is part of a conversation, the entire conversation will be displayed upon tapping on the tweet.

Twittelator Neue is pure eye candy. There's a new wave of apps that are trying out new layering effects and physics, new animations and interactions. Twittelator Neue is one of those leading the way. This is not Apple's Twitter client. It's not flat and utilitarian like Mail or overly skeumorphic like Find my Friends. It's glossy, it's polished, it's fresh, and it's refreshing.

It doesn't have the functionality of some other clients. It picks and chooses its battles carefully. More functionality will likely follow in future updates but I hope they keep curating it, keep it simple.

Tweetlogix

Tweetlogix offers tons of functionality, including support for themes and a bevy of additional services, all wrapped up in an elegant, easy to navigate interface. Inline images, active links, and more make it a good choice for power readers.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is another one of those Twitter -- and Facebook, LinkedIn, and Foursquare -- apps that seems aimed more squarely at social network and social media marketing types rather than average users, but if you have a brand to push and love you some stats, especially if you're already all in with Hootsuite on the app, the app is a great companion.

Supports both iPad and iPhone in the same universal app. Requires a Hootsuite account.

Your top apps?

So there you have them, our top 5 best alternative Twitter apps for iPhone and iPad. Be sure to check out our other Top 5 picks, our Picks of the Week, and iPhone App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

Leanna LofteFormer app and photography editor at iMore, Leanna has since moved on to other endeavors. Mother, wife, mathamagician, even though she no longer writes for iMore you can still follow her on Twitter @llofte.

Sorry but IceBird was great in its day, sadly development stopped.
TweetList, TweetLogix, Tweetings, Tweetbot and Twittelator Neue are the cream of the crop, all actively developed and support the latest features and great shortcuts

I agree with Tweetbot. And one of the reasons is... When I open the twitter app after like 8 hours and there is this space-gap, between the point I opened the app last time and the present... And when I tap this gap, I want the bottom part to stay still and load earlier and earlier messages at the top, so I can just continue reading all the tweets I missed on it's timeline. Most of the twitter apps just move THIS GAP somewhere down and I have to scroll a lot to find it and repeat this step few times, which is really annoying. But Tweetbot does it BOTH WAYS! Depend if you have that GAP in upper side of the screen or lower part... So it suits everyone! Tweetbot just rocks!

I also like that it actually will load all of the tweets that I didn't get to look at form the past 8-10 hours. Most of the other clients I've tried don't handle it as well and I end up missing a few hours worth of tweets.
Definitely Tweetbot FTW.

I agree with not fighting about these things Rene, but osfoora doesn't deserve to be on the list. It not fair to recommend an app based on how similar it feels to another app that is extinct. Look at its user reviews and compare that to tweetings and you will see who the poeple feel is better. Tweetings is nicer looking simple yet packed with many features. That rare. I would stack it up to tweetbot. That's my opinion. :)

Tweetlogix all day for me. I keep trying the other every once in a while, but each is missing a piece of something that Tweetlogix has. Inline images, Inline tapable links, tweet marker, themes, etc.
Tweetlogix is #1

i actually use 2 twitter apps. 1 for reading, because it keeps a numerical count of unread tweets: twittelator pro. and 1 for everything else (reply, see who is following me, general stuff) tweetbot.
I stick with those two because of the unique counting that twittelator does and the awesome tap features that tweetbot has.

I like Twittelator Neue and the regular Twittelator. But Neue takes the twitter app to a new lever. I really like the inline picture viewing, easy posting to facebook, the UI/look/layout and this cool thing they have called follow cost.

Twitbird is great. Personally I'd never use, or especially pay, for anything from the developers of Twitteriffic after the way they screwed over so many of their loyal customers. If you don't remember what happened, basically they disabled the old app which thousands of us payed for and they created a whole new version forcing everyone to pay for the same app twice. No refunds were given. To top it off the second version had less features.

I use tweetcaster because it offers Facebook integration. Some accounts post exclusively to twitter and I would like to be able to share the information with friends in Facebook. I know twitbird offers facebook integration but it was glitchy the last time I used it do I moved on. Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are okay; Tweetdeck works really well with Google Chrome.

Echofon's push has never worked. I don't know why they've never been able to get push right. It doesn't bother me since I use Boxcar. I'm still disappointed with Tapbots. I'm sorry, but how are you gonna release a new Twitter client for iOS and not make it either Universal or make a separate iPad version? That, to me, was an epic fail.

Sorry, but I was using Osfoora for a long time and, if I have reached this post was looking for an alternative to Osfoora or any application that look better than Osfoora. So, please be moderate in your answers, because all opinions are wright... Are only that, opinions.
I've tried many applications: Twitter, Tweetdeck, Echofon, Seesmic, Hootsuite, Twittelator... and I prefer Osfoora over all these, but I will try Tweetlogix this time.
Thanks

Used Echofon, took few days for push to start to work. Tweetloglix is nice but has no push notifications which us a downside.. Tweetbot is great fast clean but push notifications sounds are boring.. Twittelator Neue is nice, I am using this at the mo... Can purchase push notifications which I did and I am pleased with it... I love twitter and spend alot of time on it... I downloaded pink tweetcaster as it supports breast cancer but it doesn't have push notifications... Everyone has own opinions about apps!! So many to choose from..

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